Zhulan had already pulled down Zhou Shuren's pants and, seeing his still swollen leg, tears plopped down ceaselessly, "Is this what you call 'being all right'?"
The swelling was still alarmingly high—how long had he knelt for!
Zhou Shuren felt a chill on his leg and, before he realized it, his pants were gone; fortunately, no one else was in the room. Seeing his wife in tears, his heart ached, "You've been frightened, it's okay, don't cry anymore, don't cry, I'm truly okay. Despite the swelling, it hasn't hurt the bone."
Zhulan's voice carried a sob, "Why were you punished? Haven't you been doing your job well? The Ministry of Revenue has been managed so well, how much silver have you brought in for the imperial court over the years? Without your suggestions, would the impact of maritime trade on the market be so minimal? What about all those good policies?"
